This invention is directed to a telescoping, uncoupling lever and glide housings for railroad cars to replace the conventional three piece uncoupling lever which has been in use in the railroad industry for decades. Uncoupling levers having L-shaped glides and lever members of rectangular cross-section are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,717 and these uncoupling levers are installed on many railroad cars now in service. Uncoupling levers of this type utilize rectangular glide housings for the rectangular lever members. Handle and lock lifter rods are welded to the rectangular lever members to complete the uncoupling lever. The improved tubular glide housing and glides shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,739,464 provide glides which are less likely to be displaced from their glide housings due to damage and wear. However, the uncoupling lever shown and described in this patent still requires the welding of the round handle and lock lifter rods to the rectangular bar stock lever members thereby increasing the manufacturing cost of the uncoupling lever and introduces a possible point of failures at welds.
The novel aspects of this invention provide a telescoping, uncoupling lever in which the handle, lock lifter and other lever elements are each formed of one piece rods of circular transverse cross-section, each of which is bent into its desired shape and does not require welding of the handle or lock lifter rods to other lever elements.
Another feature of this invention is a cast steel tubular glide housing which can be attached to the handle and lock lifter rods for sliding movement on the track rods and also can be attached to the track rods to support and guide the handle and lock lifter rods during sliding movement.
A further feature of this invention is a tubular glide housing which utilizes an interior tubular plastic glide to receive and engage the handle, lock lifter or track rods.
Another feature of this invention is a tubular glide housing having inner locking retaining portions of the glide housing and the glide located inside the glide housing where they are less subject to injury and breakage.
Yet another feature of this invention is a glide that can be installed after a rod is installed in a tubular glide housing
Other features of the invention will be found in the following specification, drawings and claims.